New technologies have facilitated the development of tools to improve many aspects of our lives. However, evidence indicates that excessive exposure to certain stimulation can have harmful effects, especially in developing children and even more so in children with neurodevelopmental disorders and disabilities.
While in the 1970s a child began to have contact with television screens around the age of four, the digital native generation (born after 2000) begins to be exposed to technologies after four months (Neophytou, Manwell & Eikelboom, 2021).
In recent years, health and education professionals have become aware of the dangers of overexposure and are detecting the problems it can cause. Research has identified how excessive exposure has harmful consequences for brain, physical and emotional development.
The maximum time spent in front of screens is associated with less time dedicated to stimulating and developmentally healthy activities such as creative play, experimentation, sports or relationships.
The effects of screens can interfere with brain development in capacities such as executive functions (attention, planning, inhibition, etc.) , language and learning such as reading and writing. (Paniagua, 2018; Karani, Sher, & Mophosho, 2022).
In the physical realm, it has been observed that excessive exposure to screens is related to eating problems, obesity, sleep disorders, visual deficits and a more sedentary lifestyle.
Screens also have an effect on the psychological development of children, such as interfering with emotional maturation and the learning of relationship and regulation strategies. This, added to the interference in executive functions, can lead to difficulties in the capacity for inhibition, in the tolerance to frustration, in the way of relating and communicating, etc.
This has also been associated with a tendency towards isolation and a higher predisposition to mood and behavioral disorders.
For all this, we think it is important that our families become aware of these effects and develop strategies for good digital health at home.
Following the recommendations of the Canadian Paediatric Society's Digital Health Working Group (Canadian Paediatric Society, 2017) , guidance to families for adequate digital health can be grouped into four pillars:
- Minimize the time spent in front of screens.
- Avoid screens for children under two years old
- In children aged two to five, limit exposure time to less than one hour per day.
- Encourage that screen time does not become a habit. Encourage alternative stimulating activities.
- Guarantee moments free from screens and technological devices, especially during meals and family moments.
- Avoid exposure for at least an hour before bedtime, so as not to interfere with sleep processes.
- Reduce the risks associated with the use of screens.
- Be present and engaged in moments of watching screens, and as much as possible, share these moments.
- Be alert and monitor the content that is viewed, prioritizing educational content that is appropriate for the child's age.
- Use strategies to foster the ability to self-limit and self-regulate.
- As a family, become aware of technology usage habits.
- Periodically evaluate the use of technologies in the family and, if necessary, develop an action plan if it is assessed that the situation may be harmful.
- Help children develop a critical attitude towards advertising and the content they see.
- Adults have byoffer healthy models of use of technologies.
- Avoid excessive use of technological devices in the presence of children, and avoid it during shared moments and with family.
- Turn off devices when not in use, and avoid having television on in the background if you are not consciously watching.
- Encourage alternative recreational activities to screens, such as creative and, if possible, collaborative play. Children can also learn to play, and adults can teach them!
Likewise, the working group provides ten questions to ask families with children to evaluate digital health and the use being made of electronic devices.
- What electronic devices do you have at home? Which ones does your son or daughter use regularly?
- Do you watch television together as a regular habit and to relax? How often do you have the television on at home even though you are not watching it?
- Does anyone in the family use electronic devices during meals?
- What content do you watch together with your children? What do they watch alone?
- Do you regularly encourage conversation with your son or daughter while using screens?
- Do you occasionally watch adult content with your son or daughter?
- Does your son or daughter often use technological devices while adults do household chores?
- Are there routine or daily activities in the family that involve the use of screens? Do you know how much time is spent on them?
- Does your son or daughter use screens before bed? How long before bed? Does he or she have devices in his or her room? Which ones?
- Does the family have a plan of rules and limits regarding screens that everyone knows and follows?
Some alternative game ideas on screens
- Table games
- Tales
- Help cook recipes
- Handicrafts
- Cooperative games (hide and seek, handkerchief, etc.) that involve motor skills, language, and relationships. It can even be motivating for parents to teach their children the games they played when they were little.
- Go out to the park to play with other children.
- Outdoor sports (biking, rollerblading, etc.)
If, however, the child gets bored…PERFECT! LET IT GO! Boredom is the precursor to maximum creativity. We must let the child have time to create, imagine and develop their own interests.
References
- Canadian Pediatric Society (2017). Screen time and young children: Promoting health and development in a digital world. Pediatricians & Child Health, 22(8), 461-468.
- Karani, NF, Sher, J., & Mophosho, M. (2022). The influence of screen time on children's language development: A scoping review. South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 69(1), 825.
- Madigan, S., Browne, D., Racine, N., Mori, C., & Tough, S. (2019). Association between screen time and children's performance on a developmental screening test. JAMA pediatrics, 173
- Muppalla, SK, Vuppalapati, S., Pulliahgaru, AR, Sreenivasulu, H., & kumar Muppalla, S. (2023). Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management. Cureus, 15(6).
- Neophytou, E., Manwell, LA, & Eikelboom, R. (2021). Effects of excessive screen time on neurodevelopment, learning, memory, mental health, and neurodegeneration: A scoping review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19, 724-744.
- Stiglic, N., & Viner, RM (2019). Effects of screentime on the health and well-being of children and adolescents: a systematic review of reviews. BMJ open, 9(1), and 023191.
- Twenge, JM, & Campbell, WK (2018). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study. Preventive medicine reports, 12, 271-283.
